Amitriptyline for insomnia

[MichelleC69]

Hi all,

I've been on HRT for 6 months now having been diagnosed as menopausal at the age of 49. It's helping with all of my symptoms except the insomnia. I rarely sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, walking frequently in the night and often at 5am and then unable to get back to sleep.

When I went back to the doctor's yesterday she has prescribed amitriptyline to use occasionally if I feel like I need a good night's sleep. The trouble is I'd really like a good night's sleep every night and I don't want to become dependent on them.

Has anyone else used them for this purpose?

Michelle

I presume it's a low dose? I've taken 10-20mg a night to help with pain related insomnia with no issues.

Yep 10mg tablets and she has recommended one or two.

Do you take them every night?

Yep. I'm twitchy and uncomfortable until the early hours and wake up constantly without them.

Thanks for you your reply

I take them for pain but they deal with chronic insomnia very nicely too. I must have been on them for more than two years now.

My prescription is for 20mg a day but I skip them from time to time with no ill effects. I even forgot them last time I went abroad and didn't notice anything (except the pain they are prescribed for and resurgent insomnia).

I'm not going through the menopause yet but I sometimes take it for insomnia,20mg works but I feel groggy for hour or so next day

I have taken these on and off for nerve pain and sleep is a happy side effect. They do make me a bit groggy the next day though.

AFAIK they are not addictive like benzos or traditional sleeping pills. And that is a low dose.

Just don't drink with them. Not a good combo (although booze not good for sleep full stop).

If you find they make waking up tricky you can play with the time of day you take them, I take mine at 5 so I can wake up ok 12 hours later

Yes! I'm on 10mg for sleep. You do build up a tolerance if you take them every night BUT I found I didnt have to as actually the effect from 1 lasts about 3 days. So I've been taking them every 3 days or so, sometimes a longer gap, and have not built up tolerance.
I think it's best that way even if you have the odd night slightlybunsettled sleep just because then you know they will really work when you need them.
I know if I took 30mg I'd be out cold in an hour.... and that's good to know at the back of my mind

Thanks all, was just worried about becoming addicted. But will try every 3 days or so as someone has suggested.

I'm on it for interstitial cystitis for over 25 years it still knocks me out at bedtime

I was given them last year for peripheral neuropathy and to take up to 30mg. I was told they would also help me sleep well.

I started at 10mg and remember the next day having to have a mid afternoon nap. I also felt a little dizzy (one of the reasons you only increase/decrease the dose slowly) but that passed. The following few weeks it might have been coincidence but if I took it too late I couldn’t get to sleep for a while. I found taking it with supper best so around 7-8pm.

I’m on 25mg now. While friends who have taken it say it worked well for them at 10mg to help sleep, I’m not sure with me. I still wake up in the night to wee and can be awake for a while. It never makes me fuzzy the next day

I didn’t find drinking alcohol with them made a difference. Btw the tablet isn’t coated so can taste quite better if it sticks to the roof of your mouth! And you can cut them in half if you want (a pill cutter helps!)

@MichelleC69

That's quite unusual to be honest. I agree with other posters who have been prescribed it for other things like nerve pain.

The 'advice' really should be to review your HRT and lifestyle.
If HRT isn't doing the trick, your gp should have reviewed that- mode of delivery and dose- and suggested some changes.
eg 2mgs not 1mg of estrogen and maybe transdermal instead of pills.

Have you tried herbal products at all?

It's a drug which is not primarily a sleeping pill- it's a first generation anti depressant with pain-killing properties when used in small doses and the sleepiness is a side effect which some people can't tolerate.

I think the problem is not one of medical addiction but possible psychological addiction where you need it to sleep and use it long term. Some people find they put on weight with it as it's an appetite stimulant too!

@jinglinghellsbells I've tried every herbal remedy going and all of the sleep techniques recommended. I exercise, eat healthily, relax before bed, etc etc. If it works, and it's non-aadictive, I'm ready to try anything!

I've had insomnia for years and these were initially helpful but have a major hangover effect for me, so maybe factor that in.

Have been on them for insomnia for past 8 years and they have been transformational for me. Dry mouth my only side effect.

They are addictive, they also made my hair fall out

I found cbd better

It’s not addictive but withdrawal should be gradual.

I was prescribed them for shoulder nerve pain. They do help me sleep marvellously - I take them occasionally now if I feel my shoulder getting stiff again and even every 3 nights or so helps, also I will take one at 10pm if I've been struggling to sleep for a few nights, but prefer not to take them every night

I used to 'cycle' these with phenargan (promethazine hydrochloride - over the counter old fashioned sedating antihistamines - 10mg does the trick now - also sold as sominex) with nytol (not the herbal variety) so that I didn't build a resistance to any one drug. You could do that and have one night 'off' in the cycle, perhaps a night when you don't have much in the next day so you're not worried about sleeping.

Not addictive In my experience although you can get psychologically dependant on taking something to sleep.

Other tips are to do relaxation or meditation to learn to switch off, which does help over time. Progressive relaxation through your body starting at the toes or head is very helpful if you wake in the night, to get back off to sleep. You can easily learn it by following a guided one then just doing it yourself when needed (I don't like faffing around with headphones etc in the night).

My sympathies, insomnia is a bugger.

Should be ok if you start low, causes me dry mouth problems, helps with nerve pain, I’m on 100mg at night, I still don’t sleep.

@MichelleC69

Advice as before- adjusting HRT ought to be the first step.
If you use tablet form, a lot is lost in digestion.

No GP ought to be giving you ADs to use as a sleeping tablet.

HRT - increase dose or type.

Or try something fairly innocuous like over the counter antihistamines- Piriton for example- that are sedative.

How much sleep are you getting? What time do you go to bed? Could you get more sleep if you went to bed earlier even though you sometimes wake at 5?

ps I don't think using them now and then is good either. Most people who use them find they feel pretty groggy at first then less so as they carry on using them. if you only use them now and then, you are likely to get these side effects as your body won't have got used to them.

sorry- as you can see, I don't think it's a great idea though fully sympathise with the lack of sleep. It was why I went onto HRT but I did find upping the dose a bit helped.

I use them to help me sleep but not every night. I take them for either one night or two and that helps my sleep pattern to adjust.

I take 50mg daily to help me sleep.